HAFTHOR BJORNSSON has backed Anthony Joshua to be ‘too big’ for Oleksandr Usyk – despite the challenger’s best efforts to beef up.
Joshua defends his unified heavyweight crown in a mandatory title defence at Tottenham’s stadium this Saturday.
It will only be former cruiserweight king Usyk’s third fight since moving up, with his most recent against Derek Chisora, 37, last October.
Beforehand, he scaled at just 15st 7lbs, giving away close to three stone which almost gave him an early scare prior to winning on points.
To combat AJ’s hulking frame, Usyk, 34, is piling on the pounds and amassed a career-heaviest 16st 5lb in an Instagram post in July.
But Game of Thrones star Bjornsson – who has lost nine stone himself while boxing – fears how the Ukrainian will perform after the body transformation.
He told SunSport: “Absolutely, I will be watching 100 per cent. I think Joshua will be a bit too big for Usyk.
“Usyk is a great boxer, but there is a height difference and a weight difference. I think that Usyk is gaining some weight now.
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“So I don’t know how that will affect his performance, he won’t be used to being that heavy. We don’t know how he’ll react to that.
“Whether it will make him a bit more stiff or what but my money is on Joshua. He’s more comfortable in that weight category.”
Reign Total Body Fuel ambassador Bjornsson, known as Thor, has been training for a year and a half as a boxer.
It comes with a super-heavyweight fight against strongman rival Eddie Hall signed and sealed.
To prepare, Thor has had three tune-up exhibition bouts, the last of which against arm wrestling champion Devon Larratt, 46, in Dubai.
Hall, 33, was due to be in the other corner, until he sustained a bicep injury in training, leaving the grudge match postponed until March.
Thor, 32, has now returned home to Iceland from the Middle East and plans to kick back and watch Joshua, 31, defend his belts against 18-0 unbeaten Usyk.
He said: “I can’t wait to see this fight, I think this fight is going to be brilliant.
“I think it could go either way, but if I had to pick a winner, it’s Joshua.”
- Hafþór Björnsson is a Reign ambassador, he will fight Eddie Hall in March 2022. For more information, please visit http://reignbodyfuel.com/en-gb #ReadyToReign
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
